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t is sad that our highest-paid cricketers cannot make the side against Pakistan. This is so because the West Indies Cricket Board's (WICB) Ottis Gibson, Professor Hilary Beckles, Dr Ernest Hilaire and others have formed themselves, inadvertently, into an insular gang that will stymie the development of talent. So not only is the WICB finding it inconvenient to listen to the senior players, the WICB refuses to play the best team, opting instead to throw out the baby with the bathwater in their bid to rebuild.
Beckles, in his recent criticism of Chris Gayle, has taken insularity to a new low.
When the Windies dominated cricket, coaching was done in schools. The best filtered upwards. There were many knocking at the door, so when you failed, you were rested. The big men didn't move much, but they whacked the ball hard enough that it stayed whacked. I remember Clive Lloyd beating the leather off the cord at Sabina in the late 1960s. The smaller men used their feet.
Although Gayle can shuffle, he doesn't have to. This giant in size and talent, without too much foot movement, remains the star in the IPL. It is a matter of size. Gayle has knocked two triple centuries and averages more sixes in all forms of the game than even Tendulkar. It is this sentiment that should be expressed when he is referred to as the don.
Gibson should stick to his area of expertise because he is not adding to the team's ability. I don't necessarily agree with Chanderpaul's approach, but the fact is that the Windies must be demoralised by the factors preventing the fielding of our best team.
I am, etc.,
STEAD M. WILLIAMS
sweng19@hotmail.com
Kingston 9
Beckles, in his recent criticism of Chris Gayle, has taken insularity to a new low.
When the Windies dominated cricket, coaching was done in schools. The best filtered upwards. There were many knocking at the door, so when you failed, you were rested. The big men didn't move much, but they whacked the ball hard enough that it stayed whacked. I remember Clive Lloyd beating the leather off the cord at Sabina in the late 1960s. The smaller men used their feet.
Although Gayle can shuffle, he doesn't have to. This giant in size and talent, without too much foot movement, remains the star in the IPL. It is a matter of size. Gayle has knocked two triple centuries and averages more sixes in all forms of the game than even Tendulkar. It is this sentiment that should be expressed when he is referred to as the don.
Gibson should stick to his area of expertise because he is not adding to the team's ability. I don't necessarily agree with Chanderpaul's approach, but the fact is that the Windies must be demoralised by the factors preventing the fielding of our best team.
I am, etc.,
STEAD M. WILLIAMS
sweng19@hotmail.com
Kingston 9
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